Brents Ready for Next Step in NFL Draft Process
Feb 16, 2023 | Football, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
The nine-hour day begins with sunshine as Julius Brents reaches House Of Athlete on Asphalt Avenue, located about three miles north of Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. It's snowy in Manhattan, but the only coldness Brents might feel comes from an ice bath during post-practice recovery. Life moves fast, and Brents continues to ride an individual high that took the Indianapolis native from the Little Apple to the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, and now to Tampa, where for the past two months he has trained for an opportunity to make childhood dreams come true, and become a member of a NFL franchise.
The formal invitation, the opportunity to further his cause, came via e-mail about two weeks ago. That's when Brents learned that he'd been invited to participate in the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine, which runs February 28 through March 6 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Fittingly, Brents returns to his hometown where the dream began when he played tackle football at age 6, and later starred at Warren Central High School. Now he'll participate in one of the most important events for a prospect leading up to the NFL Draft, which will be held in Kansas City, Missouri, from April 27 through April 29.
"This," Brents says, "is something I've worked for my whole life."
The 23-year-old Brents measured 6-3 ½ and 202 pounds with 33 3/4-inch hands and an 82 7/8-inch wingspan at the Senior Bowl, where he locked up wide receivers, big and small, and captured the attention of personnel in attendance from all 32 NFL teams. He had the length, body type and moves that will interest defensive coordinators, and the projected mid-round draft pick could certainly improve his stock in a couple of weeks.
He comes off a stellar senior season at Kansas State, where he had 45 tackles, including 28 solo stops, and 3.5 tackles for a loss, four interceptions, four pass breakups, and one forced fumble for First Team All-Big 12 honors. One of his four picks of the year came in the end zone during the 2022 Big 12 Championship to halt a potential TCU scoring drive, while he also forced his first-career fumble in the championship game following a 31-yard reception.
"I went into that Senior Bowl with the mindset I was going to dominate and I didn't shy away from it," Brents says. "From day one, I definitely left my mark and people definitely know who Julius Brents is. I just want to continue to showcase all my talents and abilities. That's my mentality. Being a cornerback, you have to have that mentality and a confidence about yourself because there's going to be some adversity but it's about being able to bounce back. If you believe in yourself, man, you can bounce back from adversity.
"It was definitely a successful Senior Bowl for me."
If there was an overwhelmingly emotional moment in Brents' college career, it arrived on November 17 — two days prior to the Wildcats' 48-31 win at West Virginia. November 17 was Thursday, and the K-State football program refers to each Thursday as "Perfect Thursday," as the Wildcats have basically completed their practices for the week and tighten up a few things here and there. At the conclusion of Perfect Thursday, K-State head coach Chris Klieman called the team together for a kneel-down on the field at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
Klieman announced, "I have a Senior Bowl invitation for one of our players."
Brents recalls the moment on the football field.
"I was excited for whoever it was who was going to receive the invite," Brents says. "That's an amazing accomplishment for someone. Then when Coach Klieman said that I had actually received the Senior Bowl invite, I was like, 'Wow.' It was a moment I'll never forget. It's hard to describe that feeling at that moment, but there were a lot of emotions, and I was just thankful for the opportunity to go to the Senior Bowl and everything that goes along with it. I was very proud of myself. I was thankful for my guys because without them I wouldn't be in that position. I was really excited, man, and it's something I'll never forget."
He'll never forget the phone call, either, the one he received from associate head coach and defensive passing game coordinator Van Malone, days after he had entered the transfer portal following the 2020 season. Brents had spent three seasons at Iowa, where he played in 11 games as a true freshman, redshirted his sophomore season due to injury, and saw action in seven games during the 2020 season. Brents received much attention, but there was something about Malone and K-State that set it apart.
"He introduced himself on the phone and said, 'This is Coach Van Malone of Kansas State,'" Brents says. "To be honest, I didn't know where Kansas State was located. But I continued having conversations with Coach Malone and defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman and then Coach Klieman as well, just a great human being and his track record speaks for itself.
"I knew K-State was the right spot for me."
Brents became a 13-game starter as a junior at K-State and earned Honorable Mention All-Big 12 honors. He recorded his first interception since his true freshman season in 2018 when he picked off Oklahoma. He also broke up a pass in the 2021 Texas Bowl victory over LSU.
Then came this past fall, when Brents emphatically shined in a K-State defense that ranked third in the Big 12 in passing defense (224.4) and fourth in total defense (375.1) and third in scoring defense (21.9).
"Man, without Coach Malone and Coach Klanderman, I wouldn't be in this position," Brents says. "I've expressed that to both of them. Especially with Coach Malone, he didn't allow me to be complacent and taught me about being consistent every day and staying forced on the little things, and to become a leader within the group. Guys wanted to feed off that energy. He put pressure on me to be that leader and to be at the forefront and challenge everyone around me.
"Coach Klanderman's presence and knowledge of the game, he took my game to the next level. It's about making a play for your team and getting the ball back to the offense. Their approach and their coaching style and the way they interact with their guys, it's something I truly cherish."
It showed on the football field. And it showed at the Senior Bowl.
"What sets me apart as a cornerback is my versatility for sure," Brents says. "That's something you definitely want to have in a cornerback. Iowa and K-State had two different schemes. I learned to play zone and then at K-State I played a lot more press-man and used my length to my advantage. Having both of those in my repertoire is something that's intriguing to a lot of teams. I can switch it up and I have that versatility. My physicality in the running game sets me apart, too. I'm not afraid to stick the wood on guys and run through the smoke, as Coach Klanderman would say."
He's come a long way since his early days in Indianapolis.
"Being from Indiana, I was exposed to a lot of different sports early on," Brents says. "Of course, basketball was one of them. It was the first sport I played at age 4. Then I played tackle football at age 6. I instantly fell in love with football. I still have that same thrill now as I did as a child. Football isn't for everybody, but it definitely was for me, and I wanted to play for a very long time.
"If I could go back, I'd tell myself to keep my head down and don't allow other's words or opinions get in the way of my path. My path is only for me. To write that story, you have to stay on that path. I'd tell myself to enjoy the journey and the process. It's been a long journey for me, being a transfer and going through different programs. You sit back and really look at all the things you've been through and really enjoy the journey and the process. It's a blessing and I don't take it for granted at all."
Brents will also never forget that moment when he finally allowed the emotions to fully sink in following the Wildcats' 31-28 overtime victory against No. 3 TCU in the Big 12 Championship Game. He kneeled at midfield, alone at the moment, surrounded by confetti, a thousand thoughts racing through his head, as he wore his Big 12 Champions ballcap and peered ahead at the lights inside AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
"It was just one of those things where you're taking it all in, man," Brents says. "I thanked God. Without Him, I don't know where I'd be. I just took it all in. I was living out one of those moments that people would absolutely die to experience and I wasn't going to take it for granted. I just took it all in, man, that moment, and it was great."
With his K-State career and the Senior Bowl behind him, and the NFL Combine a couple weeks away, Brents pauses to put his path into perspective.
"I just want to say for my guys out there who are in the transfer portal, Kansas State is a place you need to look at for sure," Brents says. "It's the best decision I ever made in my life. K-State is in my heart. I want to thank everybody in Wildcat Nation, the best fans in the nation, and I truly do mean that.
"I'm just thankful for it all. It's been great."
He'll have quite a story to tell somebody.
And it might just keep getting better.
The nine-hour day begins with sunshine as Julius Brents reaches House Of Athlete on Asphalt Avenue, located about three miles north of Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. It's snowy in Manhattan, but the only coldness Brents might feel comes from an ice bath during post-practice recovery. Life moves fast, and Brents continues to ride an individual high that took the Indianapolis native from the Little Apple to the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, and now to Tampa, where for the past two months he has trained for an opportunity to make childhood dreams come true, and become a member of a NFL franchise.
The formal invitation, the opportunity to further his cause, came via e-mail about two weeks ago. That's when Brents learned that he'd been invited to participate in the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine, which runs February 28 through March 6 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Fittingly, Brents returns to his hometown where the dream began when he played tackle football at age 6, and later starred at Warren Central High School. Now he'll participate in one of the most important events for a prospect leading up to the NFL Draft, which will be held in Kansas City, Missouri, from April 27 through April 29.
"This," Brents says, "is something I've worked for my whole life."
The 23-year-old Brents measured 6-3 ½ and 202 pounds with 33 3/4-inch hands and an 82 7/8-inch wingspan at the Senior Bowl, where he locked up wide receivers, big and small, and captured the attention of personnel in attendance from all 32 NFL teams. He had the length, body type and moves that will interest defensive coordinators, and the projected mid-round draft pick could certainly improve his stock in a couple of weeks.
He comes off a stellar senior season at Kansas State, where he had 45 tackles, including 28 solo stops, and 3.5 tackles for a loss, four interceptions, four pass breakups, and one forced fumble for First Team All-Big 12 honors. One of his four picks of the year came in the end zone during the 2022 Big 12 Championship to halt a potential TCU scoring drive, while he also forced his first-career fumble in the championship game following a 31-yard reception.
"I went into that Senior Bowl with the mindset I was going to dominate and I didn't shy away from it," Brents says. "From day one, I definitely left my mark and people definitely know who Julius Brents is. I just want to continue to showcase all my talents and abilities. That's my mentality. Being a cornerback, you have to have that mentality and a confidence about yourself because there's going to be some adversity but it's about being able to bounce back. If you believe in yourself, man, you can bounce back from adversity.
"It was definitely a successful Senior Bowl for me."
If there was an overwhelmingly emotional moment in Brents' college career, it arrived on November 17 — two days prior to the Wildcats' 48-31 win at West Virginia. November 17 was Thursday, and the K-State football program refers to each Thursday as "Perfect Thursday," as the Wildcats have basically completed their practices for the week and tighten up a few things here and there. At the conclusion of Perfect Thursday, K-State head coach Chris Klieman called the team together for a kneel-down on the field at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
Klieman announced, "I have a Senior Bowl invitation for one of our players."
Brents recalls the moment on the football field.
"I was excited for whoever it was who was going to receive the invite," Brents says. "That's an amazing accomplishment for someone. Then when Coach Klieman said that I had actually received the Senior Bowl invite, I was like, 'Wow.' It was a moment I'll never forget. It's hard to describe that feeling at that moment, but there were a lot of emotions, and I was just thankful for the opportunity to go to the Senior Bowl and everything that goes along with it. I was very proud of myself. I was thankful for my guys because without them I wouldn't be in that position. I was really excited, man, and it's something I'll never forget."
He'll never forget the phone call, either, the one he received from associate head coach and defensive passing game coordinator Van Malone, days after he had entered the transfer portal following the 2020 season. Brents had spent three seasons at Iowa, where he played in 11 games as a true freshman, redshirted his sophomore season due to injury, and saw action in seven games during the 2020 season. Brents received much attention, but there was something about Malone and K-State that set it apart.
"He introduced himself on the phone and said, 'This is Coach Van Malone of Kansas State,'" Brents says. "To be honest, I didn't know where Kansas State was located. But I continued having conversations with Coach Malone and defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman and then Coach Klieman as well, just a great human being and his track record speaks for itself.
"I knew K-State was the right spot for me."
Brents became a 13-game starter as a junior at K-State and earned Honorable Mention All-Big 12 honors. He recorded his first interception since his true freshman season in 2018 when he picked off Oklahoma. He also broke up a pass in the 2021 Texas Bowl victory over LSU.
Then came this past fall, when Brents emphatically shined in a K-State defense that ranked third in the Big 12 in passing defense (224.4) and fourth in total defense (375.1) and third in scoring defense (21.9).
"Man, without Coach Malone and Coach Klanderman, I wouldn't be in this position," Brents says. "I've expressed that to both of them. Especially with Coach Malone, he didn't allow me to be complacent and taught me about being consistent every day and staying forced on the little things, and to become a leader within the group. Guys wanted to feed off that energy. He put pressure on me to be that leader and to be at the forefront and challenge everyone around me.
"Coach Klanderman's presence and knowledge of the game, he took my game to the next level. It's about making a play for your team and getting the ball back to the offense. Their approach and their coaching style and the way they interact with their guys, it's something I truly cherish."
It showed on the football field. And it showed at the Senior Bowl.
"What sets me apart as a cornerback is my versatility for sure," Brents says. "That's something you definitely want to have in a cornerback. Iowa and K-State had two different schemes. I learned to play zone and then at K-State I played a lot more press-man and used my length to my advantage. Having both of those in my repertoire is something that's intriguing to a lot of teams. I can switch it up and I have that versatility. My physicality in the running game sets me apart, too. I'm not afraid to stick the wood on guys and run through the smoke, as Coach Klanderman would say."
He's come a long way since his early days in Indianapolis.
"Being from Indiana, I was exposed to a lot of different sports early on," Brents says. "Of course, basketball was one of them. It was the first sport I played at age 4. Then I played tackle football at age 6. I instantly fell in love with football. I still have that same thrill now as I did as a child. Football isn't for everybody, but it definitely was for me, and I wanted to play for a very long time.
"If I could go back, I'd tell myself to keep my head down and don't allow other's words or opinions get in the way of my path. My path is only for me. To write that story, you have to stay on that path. I'd tell myself to enjoy the journey and the process. It's been a long journey for me, being a transfer and going through different programs. You sit back and really look at all the things you've been through and really enjoy the journey and the process. It's a blessing and I don't take it for granted at all."
Brents will also never forget that moment when he finally allowed the emotions to fully sink in following the Wildcats' 31-28 overtime victory against No. 3 TCU in the Big 12 Championship Game. He kneeled at midfield, alone at the moment, surrounded by confetti, a thousand thoughts racing through his head, as he wore his Big 12 Champions ballcap and peered ahead at the lights inside AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
"It was just one of those things where you're taking it all in, man," Brents says. "I thanked God. Without Him, I don't know where I'd be. I just took it all in. I was living out one of those moments that people would absolutely die to experience and I wasn't going to take it for granted. I just took it all in, man, that moment, and it was great."
With his K-State career and the Senior Bowl behind him, and the NFL Combine a couple weeks away, Brents pauses to put his path into perspective.
"I just want to say for my guys out there who are in the transfer portal, Kansas State is a place you need to look at for sure," Brents says. "It's the best decision I ever made in my life. K-State is in my heart. I want to thank everybody in Wildcat Nation, the best fans in the nation, and I truly do mean that.
"I'm just thankful for it all. It's been great."
He'll have quite a story to tell somebody.
And it might just keep getting better.
Players Mentioned
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